You have your appointment with a gynecologist the next week and you are still looking for ways to sneak out from it. You are cold feet and there are a million questions cropping on your mind alongside a hundred spiders crawling down your back. What can possibly happen at the clinic? Should you do anything to prepare yourself? Put your anxiety aside because we bring to you a self-help guide on your first visit to the gynecologist.
Pick your Gynecologist
A very important thing to know before you visit your gynecologist is that you cannot visit just about any gynecologist. You must do your own research, ask your friends, take a look at patient reviews and find a doctor that is right for you (perhaps someone who has amazing bedside manners because this is something you need the most on your first visit). Make a checklist of all the things that you want your gynecologist to be like:do you want it to be a male/female?, do you prefer one doctor who can speak to you in your first language?, etc. If you find a doctor, who is appropriate, you are half way through.
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Retrospect
Think about all the questions that you have to ask your gynecologist. Recall your sexual and menstrual history. It is important to talk about regularity or irregularity of menstrual periods with your gynecologist when you meet him/her. Also, you must inform him/her about the number of sex partners that you have had before, at what age you started having sex, and methods you tried to prevent pregnancy/STDs.
Should you Shave or not?
Well, this is more of a personal choice. But, if you are scared that your gynecologist would detest at the appearance of your sexual organ, do not be. There is no good or bad vagina. And, your gynecologist would know better. There is no need to shave the area off because the hair in the pubic region is anyway not as dense as it is on the scalp.
Filling Questionnaire in the Waiting Room
Just like normal visits to the doctor, going to a gynecologist will require you to wait outside the cabin for a while and answer some questions on your sexual health. This questionnaire would then g o to the gynecologist.
What to Expect
Breast Exam
During your visit to the gynecologist, expect to be asked to lie down so he/she could check your breast as well as underarms for any lumps, nipple discharges as well as changes in skin.
Pelvic Exam
Once the breast exam is done, your doctor will take the pelvic exam. Your doctor will make you lie on your back and softly press different areas of the lower stomach to see if there is any discomfort before the exam. Your gynecologist will then move to the vagina to take a look at the cervix and vagina for any abnormalities using certain instruments.
Women must go through their first gynecological exam when they are just 18 years old, though younger girls should go through the test if they are sexually active.
Image courtesy: Getty Images
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